St. Paul daily globe., 1887-01-03
CICELY CHRYSTAL.

ing in Subdued tones. consulting one an
other on knorty point in the history OF
grand jury. The lecturer came out OF the
lecture-room and passed US. He bowed
gravely as he passed and went hastily down
the stairs, his college cap in his hand. ms
long gown falling Imply about his tall, thln
figure We were silent until he was OUT OF
sight; then our tongues were loosened, ana
we no longer spoke in subdIed tones.
Poor young manr' said Lottie, feelingly.
He is grave as judge" said Neil.
That said Claudia weightily, lis
nervousness. He is nervous, girls-nerVous
Of u.s.
But it was [ who had the most to say.
leaned against the balusters. with my 1ace
toward the open door of the lecture room,
and gave the girls the benefit OF my oDSer-
VatlonS.
.sYes. he is nervous" said. Poor
young man, he is shy! When l asked MN
if the grand jury still existed he blushed,
girls-oh, he is copper colored to start with,
I know, but he blushed through the copper
color"
For your ignorance, perhaps" suggested
Claudia.
He is very shy," said I. "He is not
used. expect, to teaching girls. He cannot
forget that we are girls He waited-did
you notce?-until we had left the room;
the other lecturers stalk out before us. L
think he wanted to open the door for us.
and to bow us out. Oh, poor young man,
he is shy!-shy and young
The girls were frownng at me. Claudia
was touching my elbow with mysterious
meaning on one side; Nell pulling my
sleeve imperatively on the other. Lottie
formed her lips into silent hush"
''Shy and young-very young--What
is the matter?" | said.
Nobody answered me. No answer, in
deed, was needed. At that moment our
lecturer passed us again and went back into
the lecture room. He had come up the
stairs behind me-he must have heard me.
He seemed to glance my way as he passed.
There seemed 70 be twinkle in his gray
blue eyes. The girls moved slowly away;
but turned precipitately and fled.
Past the lecture room door, along the cor
ridor, up stairs | fled. to my little room
(study, bedchamber and reception room).
near the sky. l meant to work, and took
nv StubbS and turned over its leaves and
found my place hurriedly with unusual en-
ergy. But work would not drive away the
remembrance of my unlucky speeches.; the
sentences bore no meaning to me; l could
not fix my attention on the history of early
Germanic institutions. l shut up my
Stubbs in despair; the girls were playing
tennis in the courts below; l seized my
racket and ran swiftly down to Join them.
Tennis would make me roget.
But if my thoughts were distracted for
an hour or two they attacked me again when
she game was over. | stood before my glass
and changed my dress for dinner, and grew
cosy red as the remembrance of my words
hoo I hot ba boH boI
because spoke to him had said that he
was shy-l had implied that he was shy of
ne because was girl. | should never
lare to speak to him or look at him! had
.alled him copper -colered-at least l might
have spared him that reproach. looked
IN the glass at my own little face: it was
brown as berry-brown by nature ir the
irst place, and made more brown by the
summer sun and the breeze from the sea at
home. His eyes were blue and his hair
was fair. l was altogether brown-har,
eyes, skin, all brown alike. And l had
called him copper-colored.-I had called
him young!-what else had l called him?
brushed back my brown hair tightly and
severely tied my soft silk sash with jerk
and ran down to dinner with rush, hop
ing to escape from my thoughts again.
Perhaps, after ALL I thought trying to
comfort myself, he had not heard Inc. My
voice, alas! was clear as BELLS; / was an
only girl in family of boys-a spoilt girl
who had never been taught to be meek and
silent in the presence of her brothers-a
talkative girl who had learned to make her.
self heard in any babel of louder and gruffer
voices. But perhaps he had been thinking
not listening-meditating or the Mark
system. trial by jury, or the disruptive ten
dency of feudal government. But no. said
the girls. he must have heard; there was no
doubt whatever that he had heard me.
The girls were as happy as usual. They
could contemplate the situation TRANQUILITY;
it even afforded them amusement. They
found something humorous in my discomfit-
ure. 1t was l, not they, whom he had
overheard.
We sat in a half circle on the floor before
the fire that night in our pretty bright dress
ing gowns. and drank cocoa and ate sweet
biscuits before going to bed. l was hostess.
The study, the little tin kettle singing on
the hob. the blue and white china, the CO.
goa, the sweet biscuits were all niue We
.our friends gave cocoa parties in turn. 10
morrow Claudia would provide the feast.
Yesterday Nell had been hostess. Cocoa
was the chief dissipation of our college. We
gave ''cocoaS" as our brothers gave ''wines''
it was a drink easily made, inexpensive.
nutritious.
We sat around the fire on the floor. talk
ing and laughing. holding our teacups and
stirring our cocoa slowly and absent -mind,'
edly as we talked. My guests were merry.
but L tonight was unusually silent and de-
pressed.
After ALL" said Claudia, sensibIy. try
ing to comfort me-''after all, what did YOU
say, Chs? Nothing-nothing, at all events.
that mattered. You said he was Young:
well, that is true. How old, girls, do you
suppose he is?"
twenty-five" said Lottle
"rwentyfour. said Nell.
Very young" said Claudia, conclu-
lively
"Then you called him shy-well. he is
shy. You said he blushed-well, he does
blush"
That is just it." groaned. "It is all
so true.''
He will think you observant," said
Nelly, nibbling the sugar from her biscuit
with slow, epcurean enjoyment.
''He will think, at all events. that Won
are interested in him." said Lottie, cheer
fully.
''In him-a man!' l groaned. for a girl
Who has tyrannized over eight admirine
rotherS and been treated all her life with
Difference by fond father and uncles has an
ungrateful scon for men. l had had nc
meek mother and aunts and sisters to teach
ME humility as becoming womanly virtue.
Poor Cis-poor Cicely." said the girls.
''And Saturday is coming and you viii be
forced to see him. Poor. poor Cicelyr'
Yes. Saturday was coming. On Wednes.
day and Thursday and Friday went about
with constant consciousness of Saturdays
inevitable advance. Our lecturer had stated
that on Saturday afternoon he would be